A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than 1,400 previously approved National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants was unconstitutional, ordering the cuts rescinded and describing a broad “chilling effect.” Judge Colleen McMahon’s decision addressed lawsuits brought by scholarly organizations and grant recipients after NEH grant terminations totaling more than $100 million. The court found the agency violated constitutional protections, noting that DOGE officials used ChatGPT to identify grants they believed violated the president’s anti-DEI directives. The ruling states that the government terminated grants without statutory authority and violated First Amendment rights and equal protection requirements. The decision reverses a process that disrupted ongoing research, publications, and humanities programming nationwide. It also adds pressure for compliance-focused grant review and documentation standards at federal funders during politically charged policy shifts.